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Oduduwa

King Eresoyen introduced the annual Oduduwa ritual, in which seven dancers with helmet masks performed. The name commemorates the king of Ife, who sent his son Oranmiyan to Benin, who is considered the founder of the dynasty that still reigns today. The reference to the founder of the dynasty was intended to strengthen the legitimisation of the kingdom, which had regained strength after the crisis of the 17th century. The proboscis hands protruding from the corners of the mouth point to the special spiritual power of the king.

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Ethnologisches Museum Show original at data provider

Cataloguing data

Object type
Mask (Mask)
Dimensions
Weight: 4,1 kg
Height: 32,7 cm
Width: 20,5 cm
Depth: 22 cm
Material/Technique
Brass, Iron
Current location
Ethnologisches Museum, Staatliche Museen zu Berlin
Inventory number
III C 8060

Provenance and sources

  • Production
    where
    Benin [kingdom]
  • Production
    when
    18th century-19th century.
    where
    Nigeria
  • Collecting
    who
    William Downing Webster (1868-05-11 - 1913-01-14) - Former Possessors
  • Change of legal title:
    Acquisition
    Description
    Commissioned from the Igun Eronmwon brass foundry guild in the Kingdom of Benin in the 18th or 19th century; ownership before 1897 currently unknown; probably looted in connection with the British conquest of Benin, 1897; in unknown possession between Feb. 1897 and 1898; acquired by the Museum of Ethnology from William D. Webster, 1898.
  • Assignment to a curated holding:
    Africa

Information about the record

Legal status metadata
CC BY-SA 4.0 DEED
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